Little Brown Dog

DAY twenty eight - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-19T22:44:00.003+10:00

Today I was invited to hold a screen printing demo for the Ipswich Arts Council at Rockton. It was a gorgeous day and a perfect opportunity to print a few more beetle things and mingle with some delightful people who are incredibly passionate about the arts in Ipswich.

Rockton is an Ipswich landmark, an enormous historic house and we were lucky enough to have a wander around it with owner and artist Angela - a sort of combined house and basketry tour. All these beautiful pieces are made from natural materials, many foraged from Angela's garden.

Egg basket

teepee

coil work

vase

DAY twenty seven - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-18T18:48:00.001+10:00

Does this count do you think? This is how Miss B and I spent a couple of hours today - building and racing lego cars at the fantastic Built for Speed at the Ipswich Art Gallery. If you fancy building your own then you need to get in quick!! This exhibition finishes tomorrow (it's worth it just to watch the Dad's getting involved).

Team Lewis racer

Ready, set, go

DAY twenty six - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-17T20:50:00.001+10:00

Not much happened with the monster stuff today. But I did have a play around with some old keys and other bits and pieces in the box of random broken jewellery and other crap.

DAY twenty five - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-17T09:22:00.002+10:00

Ok so this should have gone up yesterday but it was late by the time I remembered and I went to bed instead, anywho enough with the excuses.

Today B and I are having a monster day so I've been searching for some cool monster activities and here's what I've found:

monster feet

splat monsters

and

monster puppets but I'm thinking we could do this as a mask.

And to finish off the day we have our first craft rehab session at the shop and we'll be making this sweet little monster from revoluzza

DAY twenty four -30 days of handmade

2012-02-15T20:54:00.001+10:00

Some beautiful handwoven trinkets by my lovely friend Lesa. The hat pin was for my 30th last year and the teeny basket was an opening a shop gift.

I'm so lucky to have so many creative, talented and generous friends.

DAY twenty three - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-14T23:23:00.000+10:00

Whilst trawling through Craftgawker last night (oh no yet another crafty time suck) I happened upon some paper flowers made from old patterns and today I thought I'd give it a bash. They are so quick and easy to make and look freakin awesome. I'm thinking I'll use them in a window display for the shop so I've attached them to some astro turf covered boxes for that faux springing out of the ground look.

If you fancy having a go to here's what to do:

Step one - gather together some old patterns (try your local op shop). If you can find them unused this will make things much easier. Cut the patterns up into smaller, even sized pieces. For these big flowers I cut one whole pattern sheet into eight. Lay these eight sheets on top of each other.

Step two: concertina fold the eight sheets (make the folds about 2cm wide)

Step three: wrap a piece of string or wire around the middle couple of times and tie it off.

Step four: trim the ends either round or spiky

Step five: gently pull each layer up towards the centre.

And that's it. Easy huh?

If you want to make big standing flowers like I have then loop a thick piece of wire around the centre before you pull out the flower (before step five). You can do it once the flower is finished but it's a little trickier to get the wire around all the puffy layers without tearing them. To finish of simply twist the wire back around itself a couple of times to keep it in place and then pop all your flowers in a big old vase.

DAY twenty-two - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-13T22:48:00.002+10:00

Well I did it, I planted cacti in the typewriter, but I managed to do it so no dirt actually got into the innards.

Here's how:

STEP 1 - cut up an old plastic carry bag to the appropriate width, fold it a couple of times over and place it inside the open bit on the top of the typewriter (this will help stop any rocks from getting inside the typewriter).

STEP 2 - plant a couple of little cacti in a small plastic container (I used a little yoghurt tub with the rim cut off), then wedge this inside the gap on top of the folded up plastic bag.

STEP 3 - wash some pebbles and little stones then trickle these around the planted cacti to completely fill up the hole (be careful not to let any fall down inside the typewriter).

STEP 4 - if you like you can also place a few little bits of old man's beard in between the little stones and perhaps a fun little figure like this lovely rhino and you're all done.

To water use a spray bottle and gently mist the cacti and epiphyte.

DAY twenty-one - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-12T20:34:00.000+10:00

It's Sunday again so it's time for another tour so here's all the handmade goodies in our bedroom:

This is one of the things I'm happiest with in the room because I made the stripey bed cover and all the cushions. The ABC cushions are from Aunty Cookie craft panels - I had intended them for Miss B's room but I liked them so much that well, I kept them for me and him. The little cushion is quilted together from random vintage scraps and one of my own screen prints.

Embroidery Flowers Lime -

Eloise Renouf

A look only you would understand -

Ashely Goldberg

On either side of the bed I've hung a favourite print. On the left is Gav's birthday pressie purchased from the gorgeous Nook in West End and on the right - a little chrissy present for myself (te he).

I use an old typeface box to display my collection of handmade jewellery and other knick knaks.

And these curtains are pieced together from fabric samples and a little piece of stripey Ikea fabric. It's taken me a long time to embrace the whole florals and stripes thing but now I love it.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour. Nine days to go! Maybe tomorrow I'll show you what happened to the typewriter...

Bec

DAY twenty - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-11T23:00:00.000+10:00

A Sunday project- contemplating turning this:

into something like this:

poetic home

Or is this just sacrilegious? I promise it doesn't work anymore. I've checked out a few tutorials and they suggest to put rocks in the bottom, then add soil and succulents eeeek. I was thinking I'd pop some thick plastic in first to protect the typewriter innards and then build it from there.

What are your thoughts?

Bec

DAY nineteen - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-10T20:55:00.001+10:00

A few snaps from the exhibition opening Miss B and I are just home from - 'The Usual Suspects' showing at the Ipswich community gallery for one week only.

There's so much talent in this little old town.

DAY eighteen - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-09T23:53:00.002+10:00

A fantastic thrift store find today - check out all these hand embroidered beauties:

They were hiding in a plastic bag at the Lutheran Bargain Centre and when I spied the girl with her cart I just about did back flips. This might sound weird but when I pulled them all out the starchy, clean smell took me straight back to afternoon teas with Nanna.

I've been building up a stash of crocheted and embroidered doilies for ages and I'm excited about using them in some new projects. I love sewing with vintage pieces, the perfect tiny stitches and the little blemishes, all these wonderful references to the past that are honoured when they're incorporated into a new garment and worn and appreciated by a new generation.

I've had a lovely evening scouring the interwebs looking for inspiration - how gorgeous are these?

thornberry

I'm loving this combination of soft denim and thrifted doilies

little miss doily

and the vintage style and hanging from the jacaranda tree photo shoot.

Ahh happiness is a headful of ideas and a cupboard full of doilies.

x Bec

DAY seventeen - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-08T18:48:00.001+10:00

Today will have to be a catch up day as last night I crashed out early (so early I missed dinner) ooops. So here you go - some handmade brooch love...

Clockwise from the top - mushroom - Each to Own; furry hand - Diana Maloney; button - Jen & Jose; embroidered doggy - Edward and Lilly; book dog - reRead; embroidery badge - Shady Lady; red girl - Little Brown Dog; bottletop bunny (I can't remember where this lovely bunny came from)

DAY sixteen - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-07T18:14:00.001+10:00

Sheesh just home from a big day at the shop and a lovely couple of hours teaching sewing. So just a quick one tonight - the view from above of my work table. I cut out a load of these little tunics at last nights Brown Owls and I'm slowing working my way through them.

DAY fifteen - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-06T11:06:00.000+10:00

A quick tour of Monte Lupo Arts.

Monte lupo was established by Multicap (a statewide non profit) to provide a career path for people with disabilities who wish to be gainfully employed in an are that encourages creativity and artistic expression.

If you like your art with an edge then the gallery is well worth a visit and is open Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm and is located at 269 Padstow Rd, Eight Mile Plains.

DAY fourteen - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-05T22:13:00.000+10:00

Handmade things in our Kitchen

Our shelves - my Dad made these.

I love big open shelves for housing those things we use all the time plus I can create little displays of all the random things we've collected. The lamp is handmade too (by me) from an old children's toy and a wooden bowl. My mate Michael runs workshops with his crafty business Lamp it Up! There's another one coming up on the 4th of March if you're keen (only $50).

Vintage tablecloth curtain:

I'm kinda cheating here as this isn't really handmade. I didn't do anything to it other than attach some alligator clips to hang it. I did think about making it into proper curtains but for once I couldn't bring myself to hack into it.

This is our for want of a less wanky term 'gallery wall'. We use it to display a collection of favourite prints, framed cards and other odds and ends like the lids from Nanna's enamel bowls and her old decorative chopping block and teapot trivet. One day soon I'm going to paint the wall white (actually the whole inside of the house YAY) which I'm hoping will make these little collections really pop.

large image 'tea and wine' by Chelsea Freyta

tea time print by local artist Sharon McKenzie, tile from Portugal

Photographic print of Gav - a weird unexpectedly ghostly image.
Not really sure how it turned out like this but I love it.

Other handmade bits and bobs round the kitchen:

spoon holder made from my screen print on a fabric sample,
wrapped around an old coffee jar

tea cosy

and these recovered bar stools - DIY tutorial here

Hooray almost at the half way point.

Bec

DAY thirteen - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-04T18:00:00.000+10:00

The prototype. Hoping for more time at the machine tomorrow.

DAY twelve - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-03T18:46:00.000+10:00

This is one of my absolute favourite handmade things in our house. It's a 'torn page' by artist Cherie Strong. Cherie uses a line, or a couple of words from the page to fire her imagination. This is a prolific series but every single one is different, mine is 'lime green scarf'.

If you love what she does her work can be found at the Art and Soul Gallery, Boonah.

Bec

p.s. no development on girls tops today, more hanging out, watching movies and napping with the kid

DAY eleven - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-02T23:08:00.001+10:00

On being a Mum and a maker

I'm in danger of sounding a bit of a hippy, but today I've had the most beautiful day just being with Bella. We spent the morning cleaning up the sewing room - she helped by vacuuming, climbing in suitcases and wrapping herself in fabric scraps. Then with my Mum we popped into fourthchild for a coffee and cake (mmm raspberry mudcake), stopped by the shop to pick up some bits and bobs and of course squeezed in a bit of op-shopping (yippee). And this afternoon we spent a blissful few hours catching up with a wonderful friend and her boys who we don't get to see enough of any more. What this does mean though is that apart from breakfast, lunch and dinner I haven't made anything and to be honest it's been rather nice.

It's quite liberating to surrender the day and it's something, which if I'm totally honest with you I'm not terribly good at. You see I LOVE to make things and I often get a bit cross or antsy if I haven't made something for a few days. The hardest thing is if I have an idea then I want to get started straight away and unfortunately this doesn't always coincide with the whims of a two and a half year old. It's important to me to be a 'good' parent (whatever that means) but I've realised that I also need to create in order to be 'good' to myself.

I guess ultimately it's about balance and finding ways to spend our time together creatively so that we're both happy. After all the days we're home together are days to spend together whether it be sewing with B sitting in my lap, screen printing with her on a step ladder beside me, trawling op shops and saying no to all the hideous plastic toys she somehow finds, eating lunch in the cubby we've just built, endless visits to the sandpit or drawing, painting and sticking googly eyes on everything. As my Dad keeps reminding me 'they're only little for such a short time, so make the most of it'.

I've had a lovely day with my gorgeous and hilarious kid (I promise you she's not like this all the time she is also incredibly challenging, frustrating and sometimes downright horrid), and although I haven't made anything there is something in the works involving these thrifted hand embroidered tablecloths. I have them soaking now, ready for a creative challenge tomorrow.

If all goes according to plan (pffft), tomorrow I will have a sweet little girly top or two made from these. And if my luck holds the kid might let me take some pics of her wearing them.

x Bec

p.s. phew just scraped in today - 19 more days to go

DAY ten - 30 days of handmade

2012-02-01T18:03:00.001+10:00

My engagement ring.

We chose this together the day after Gav proposed on a bridge in the drizzly welsh rain. It was locally made (at least compared to where we were living at the time) from a mixture of silver and welsh gold. I love it's asymmetry and how organic it looks. We happened upon it in the sweetest little town in south Wales called Narberth. The whole town is chock full of art galleries, independent gift shops and open studios - heavenly.

DAY nine - 30 days of handmade

2012-01-31T20:49:00.000+10:00

Here's how I spent the last rainy Sunday afternoon. Making key-ring holders from an old fence paling and a bag of thrifted plastic animals. I got Dad on board to saw, drill and counter sink (he loves this stuff) and I've treated them with a mix of olive oil and citronella to clean up the dusty old timber. I had fun today stamping the tags and making little envelopes for the button head screws that I'm packaging with each one.

What do think? Would you like something silly like this to hang your keys from?

Bec

DAY eight - 30 days of handmade

2012-01-30T18:24:00.001+10:00

Hubby's Christmas present - origami Yoda by Catamation.

DAY seven - 30 days of handmade

2012-01-29T20:30:00.000+10:00

I'm not usually one for long posts, but I thought it would a nice idea each Sunday during the challenge to share the handmade things of one room in our little house.

I'm going to start with Miss B's room. Here's the sprite herself (note the cheeky grin and sparkly eyes, sheesh, I'm in so much trouble with this one).

Having this tiny person to decorate a room for is loads of fun. I've used thrifted treasures, a few bits from when I was little, beautiful handmade prints and decorations, plus I've made a few things too.

I feel I should start here:

I made the curtains while I was pregnant - Ikea fabric of course. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and since I didn't know if I was having a pink or a blue one I thought it would work for either. I made two sets of curtains and then had enough left over to make a doona cover when the sprite moved into her big girl bed. The bunting I made yonks ago from an old blanket and fabric samples.

Here's a couple of my favourite handmade toys that keep the sprite company - the gorgeous bear was a Christmas present and the red panda is by Herbert and Friends.

For Miss B's door I followed a fantastic tutorial from How About Orange - How to 'wallpaper' using fabric. I used a lightweight material and it was easy peasy, though a little too easy for the sprite to peel off (aargh). The cute bird was a lovely gift from Whizzbangle.

Here's a pic of B's cupboard doors slowly being transformed into a beautiful mural by a very talented friend. Plus more bunting - Little Brown Dog vintage story book screen prints.

And to finish off here's some of the handmade decorative bits and bobs that hang around the room:

Wizard of Oz wall hanging - Lavender Leadlights

Bear coat holder - my Mum (this was mine when I was little)

Poster - Huckleberry Jones

Mushrooms - Amelies World

And finally - Menagerie by Jane Anderson

So there you go, I hope you've enjoyed the tour. Stay tuned for another 23 days of handmade adventures.

Bec

DAY six - 30 days of handmade

2012-01-28T19:54:00.001+10:00

This says it all really.

Handprinted tea towel by my lovely friend Elissa of Dandy Fox.

DAY five - 30 days of handmade

2012-01-27T18:27:00.000+10:00

I'm not usually a new years resolution type of gal but after stumbling across the gorgeous 'hop skip jump - 20 eco-friendly toys to sew' at the State Library Bookshop I decided that this year I would like to try and make softies for presents this year (wish me luck with sticking to this one).

So far I've made two of the projects -

the party hippo with his very own bobble hat:

and Basil the rabbit with his sweet little scarf.

I've never had a great deal of success sewing softies, they usually end up very two dimensional or oddly lumpy, but this book is fantastic. The patterns and instructions are actually very easy to follow. Plus the book is full of information about sourcing and using sustainable and repurposed materials and includes a couple of extensive lists detailing materials used for each toy, organic fabric suppliers and a list of web resources that will allow you to further investigate textiles and sustainability.

So if you've ever thought about giving toy making a go then head on over to the hop skip jump blog for some inspiration or to buy your own copy (it's worth it just to see Gordon the donkey with his sweet little wooly vest).

Bec

DAY four - 30 days of handmade

2012-01-26T15:44:00.000+10:00

I thought I'd share a couple of my favourite handmade trinkets with you today:

These little peas ride their pod across a sea of books in our bedroom. I did buy them for the little miss but I'm just a wee bit precious about them so she's not allowed to play with them unless supervised. They are from the delightful Green Man Shop. Do check them out as their work is just gorgeous (be warned though they're taking a year off to trip around Australia, making and selling as they go).

And this sketch I salvaged from the shop. A discarded 'doodle' by a good friend who was shop guy for a day.

DAY three - 30 days of handmade

2012-01-25T19:31:00.001+10:00

I am completely obsessed with terrariums. I remember making them with my Mum when I was little and still love making them now. The fun is in the detail - this little plant here, a pretty rock or sea glass there and with the addition of train model figurines you complete a tiny world in which you can imagine all manner of things taking place.

My current obsession has been fuelled by the delightful work of Twig Terrariums. Check them out - you'll fall in love too.

Bec

cactus, old mans beard, sea glass and train model figurines

the view from above

DAY two - 30 days of handmade

2012-01-24T22:08:00.002+10:00

Ha, I bet you thought I'd given up already. Not so, here's how I got my handmade fix today:

I wore these handmade earrings by Kate at ARTtime. I fell in love with them the minute I saw them.

Plus the rainy weather gave me an excuse to wear something cosy:

this is one of my best ever thrifted finds - a cashmere cardi/shawl thing that I picked up for seven quid in an Oxfam Op shop in Hay-on-Wye, Wales (don't read too deeply into this and think I'm some kind of jet setter it's cause Hubby's family live there and we took the kid over to meet them all about a year ago). Unfortunately the hairy things at my house also liked it and munched a hole in it (the little bastards) but luckily a clever friend was able to patch it up with these sweet needle felted flowers. Hurrah for felting!

And finally there's this little book which was a present many moons ago and I rediscovered it today in the bottom of a box whilst reorganising the workshop, I really must use it now.

Sweet, Day two done. There's no knowing what handmade goodies tomorrow may bring so stay tuned.

Bec

30 days...

2012-01-23T20:06:00.001+10:00

Hello little blog, I hope you're not feeling too neglected, it's been a long time between posts. It's just that I've been rather pre-occupied with some other things...

1. a precocious toddler,

2. the tyranny of now owning a smart phone (oh Instagram you seductive time waster),

3. a little bit of screen printed madness for Cactus,

4. and of course there's that shop I've been running with Kyla.

But no more excuses! I've decided to give myself a little challenge to reinvigorate you (and me). Are you ready for this?

From today until the 22nd of February I'm going to do one little post every day about the lovely handmade things in my world. It might be something I'm wearing, or something I've made, something from the house, or the shop. Anywhere, anytime, everyday for the next thirty days I will update you so watch out cause here we go...

DAY one - 30 days of handmade

Today I'm wearing a fish by the delightful Blossom and Cat. A Christmas pressie from the Husband (after a few subtle hints), I love this little stripey fish, I love the detail, the fact I can see Helen's perfect hand stitching and of course the buttons (sigh buttons).

and I also finished a special order for a friend (the only guy in advertising to whom Bill Hicks does not apply cause he does great work for local business). This is one of his favourite tees transformed into a wee cushion and a couple of glorious big outdoor cushions made from beautiful vintage material. I'm looking forward to them being collected tomorrow.

So there we go Day one done and dusted, I'd love you to join me on this little journey of handmade discovery.

Bec

That 70s bar stool

2011-10-21T20:37:00.000+10:00

Like my lovely business partner it's been a long time between posts. The shop has been pretty much all consuming and it's been such a long time since I've been back here. Days off have been spent working on fun shop stuff, sewing, printing, interwebbing... It's been almost four months now since we threw open the doors and it feels like we've got into our rhythm and time off is starting to feel like time off (well sort of). I've realised how important it is to try and stay away from the shop, at least one day a week and to spend that day on projects to make our little house a bit more liveable and a place I'm happy to come home too after a day surrounded by handmade goodness. Last week it was a bit of gardening and this week it was this:

Jazzing up of some daggy old bar stools.

I picked up these stools at my favourite second hand shop in Ipswich. They were in good condition, no tears on the seats, just a bit rusty. So... I removed the seats, removed all the rust with sandpaper and coated them with ocean blue kill rust (all instructions are on the spray can).

To make the covers I used some old jeans. I cut open the legs then traced around each of the seats with tailors chalk. I measured around the seats and worked out the width for the side pieces to give me plenty of material to roll under.

First I sewed up the seam on the side piece then attached the seat piece all with double stitching plus a top stitch to hold the seam down.

I was originally going to use the magic staple gun to attach the denim covers to the seats but then I decided that a better option would be elastic (things need to be washable with a toddler around). I made a casing for the elastic and threaded it through, zigzag stitched the ends of the elastic together and closed up the seam.

I pulled the elastic pretty tight as I wanted to make sure it pulled the cover round the seat nice and tight (it was a little tricky getting the seat in but with a little bit of wiggling it was ok).

To finish them off I screwed the seats back on to the legs and now we've got somewhere to sit when we eat our breakfast. YAY

those teatowel ties

2011-09-26T10:47:00.000+10:00

way back in July I posted about the tea towel ties I had under construction. It just occurred to me that I was supposed to put up some pics of the finished product so here they are:

Vintage lace relief printing

2011-09-16T23:14:00.000+10:00

After running my first ever printing class at Cultiver I've been feeling very inspired so I thought I'd present a tutorial so you can have a go too.

I've always intended to share more tutorials but have managed to jinx myself every other time I've tried to document my creative process, ending up with a pile of hopeless craft failures. This time it worked and I'll just have to try and forget about the disaster that was DIY underwear from an old Tshirt.

Anywho here goes creative people:

1. Assemble your materials - op shop T-shirts, old lace,

textile printing ink (I prefer permaset as it's water based), a

hard and a spongy roller, a few pieces of cardboard, scissors

and a piece of glass (tape the edges with some gaffer tape so

you don't cut yourself).

2. Cut out - carefully cut out the sections of lace you want

to use for your design.

3. Ink your roller- spoon a splodge of ink onto the glass and

with the spongey roller, roll back and forth through the ink to

get a thick, even coating over the roller surface.

4. Ink the lace - place the lace on the glass and roll a thick,

even coat of ink onto the lace. Reload the roller as necessary.

5. Get ink on your shirt - place the lace, inked side down

onto your chosen shirt. It's a good idea to keep a cloth close

by to wipe off any ink you might get on your fingers.

6. Work it - place a clean piece of card over the lace and

use your hard roller to firmly roll back and forth over the card.

7. Peel and reveal - lift up the card and gently peel back

the lace, being careful not to let it fall back onto the shirt as

otherwise you'll end up with ink where you don't want it.

8. Repeat - you can repeat this process as many times as you

like to complete your design.

9. Finish it off - step back and make sure you're happy

with your overall design, add more details if you feel like it.

Allow the T-shirt to dry (either flat or on a hanger).

To cure - iron over the design for three minutes on a hot setting.

UPcycling Workshop 20 -21 August

2011-08-26T14:45:00.000+10:00

from left to right - cardi dress - shirt skirt - trouser leg insert in a shirtmaker dress - tablecloth skirt

I had a wonderful weekend sewing and UPcycling with five lovely ladies at the ATASDA UPcycling workshop. Everyone picked different projects based on the fabric and other bits and pieces they had in their stashes. It was really fun to work together towards a solution to each unique concept. These women were all wonderful and no matter what crazy suggestions I made they would give it a whirl.

Upcoming workshops

2011-08-08T13:30:00.001+10:00

recycled bottle chandelier

Have dobbed myself in to run a few workshops over the next month. In Ipswich at Culitver I'll be hosting a Mum and me sewing class, a recycled bottle chandelier class and a full day quick and dirty printing session. For all the details shoot an email to cultivershop(at)gmail.com.

I'm also running a two day UPcycling workshop with ATASDA at The Lavalla Centre, Fernberg Rd. Paddington. On day one we'll look at how to transform your old clothes, bed sheets and table linens into something fresh and wearable. On day two we'll embellish your finished garment with printing, applique and free hand machine embroidery. Follow the above link to check it out.

more hidden wonders

2011-07-31T15:08:00.000+10:00

found another sweet little paste up nestled in bon's laneway...

Miss two...

2011-07-26T16:00:00.000+10:00

oh my, I am officially the parent of a two year old. Bring on the terribles!!

chasing guinea fowl

cousins

my creative space...

2011-07-21T19:27:00.000+10:00

so nice to come back to all the inspirational making at my creative space...

This week I've been busy transforming my ridiculously large collection of vintage tea towels into lots of lovely neckties. I'm trying to use as much of the tea towel as possible so each tie will have a matching pocket square, cufflinks and perhaps a little tie pin. I'll post up some final product shots once they're all ready for the shop.

Cultiver doors open and look what I found...

2011-07-05T19:37:00.002+10:00

Day two at Cultiver... a few more additions to the window (any excuse to sit up the back with scissors and a glue stick). Hope the pic is ok - it's really hard to get a clear photo because of the way the light hits our window most of the day but I do kinda like that you get to see the reflection of all the awesome old buildings across the road.

And here's what I spied whilst wandering down the lane at Bon Laneway

love that this kinda awesome is popping up in Ipswich Town.

Farewell Peter Falk

2011-06-26T19:07:00.003+10:00

image from here

Buttons in the billabong...

2011-06-24T14:58:00.004+10:00

Bambinos are ready to go to market tomorrow. I've been lucky enough to have a sneak peek and made this sweet purchase from Buttons in the Billabong.

If you fancy checking out all the other amazing stuff these kiddoes have made then get on down to the Tivoli Market, 7am - 1pm at the Tivoli Miracle Centre (The Drive-In).

Earning my wings

2011-06-16T23:07:00.002+10:00

How sweet is this program from the lovely Queen Bee of Pineapple Productions:
Bambino Bazaar is a ten week course for creative kids to learn the basics of products, sales and running their own market stall.

First term classes are almost at an end and I've been lucky enough to be part of it all as a Fairy Godmother to two super cute bambinos.

They've worked hard on unique and beautiful handmade products, designing and producing their own business cards and preparing all their own signs. Now comes the last bit - a real live market and these kids are soooo excited.

So if you're in Ipswich Town on Saturday 25th June pop on down to The Rivers of Life Market Bazaar at the Tivoli Drive-In (50 Coal Rd, Chuwar) where you can buy original drawings, peg dolls, jewellery and more from the first batch of junior entrepreneurs.

exciting...

2011-06-02T00:07:00.004+10:00

Textile and Art Academy 2011

2011-05-30T19:42:00.002+10:00

The Textile and Art Academy is a visual and creative art school offering one, two and five day workshops across a huge range of arts disciplines. You could learn to felt, make a leather bound book, explore shibori, make paper, stitch and embellish fabric, play with mono printing and make your mark on the community mural.

As part of the TAA I've been invited to host a one day UPcycling workshop. We'll spend the morning exploring various embellishment techniques including free hand machine embroidery, potato printing and applique and the afternoon transforming your efforts into a wearable piece for you to take home.

TAA will be held at St Peters Lutheran College, Indooroopilly.

To explore the full program visit the TAA website here.

Pop-Up Shop Awesome

2011-05-24T12:24:00.004+10:00

We've managed to fit over twenty artisans into our little pop-up shop made entirely out of vintage furniture and old boxes.

Our brooch love stand - crotchet brooches by Dash Robin, hat pins and books by Lesa Hepburn, screen printed brooches by Little Brown Dog, resin illustrated brooches by Polly Gone, embroidered brooches by Edward and Lilly, plus

And the wall of re-loved cardboard boxes, too much awesome to list in my brain addled state.

stupid busy..

2011-05-15T17:24:00.008+10:00

getting ready for this

and I'm so excited!!

Me and my lovely mate Kyla along with my hubby and our clever friends Nick and Elissa have been working some magic on cardboard boxes, playing with carpet squares and gathering together all manner of vintage goodies (including sweet as brown corduroy couches and rockers and an ace 70s sideboard) to make a little pop-up shop inside a big old empty shop. Our shop is just a small part of the awesome Animated Spaces: Alive with Music, Theatre, Poetry & Visual Art coordinated by The Swich Contemporary Art Space.

We'll be stocking goods from some awesome creative types including Hungry Designs, Edward and Lilly, Flights of Fancy, Mums n Bubs in the Raw, Love and Two Guns and more to be announced.

The Animated Spaces event runs from Saturday 21st until Saturday 28th of May and will feature a program of unique experiences including a window box theatre, live action painting, roving performances, a speakeasy, lots of live music and a silent film night with improvised live music.... I think my heads gonna explode.

So if you're in or around Ipswich Town and looking for something a little out of the ordinary to keep you entertained then head on down to 201 Brisbane Street and check it out.

all kinds of awesome

2011-05-04T13:09:00.005+10:00

so many wonderful things going on at the moment....

my lovely brother who's living it up in Berlin and getting some sweet music happening has organised for LBD to be stocked at this gorgeous gallery - kultpur YAY!

and yesterday the lovely Janette of Precious Packages and I spread the UPcycling love at our local library.

K82e Cre8ions and little brown dog goodies

more little brown dog goodies

overloved books remade by little bird

fabric jewellery made from vintage materials by my nostalgic feeling

Photography competition

2011-04-24T22:19:00.005+10:00

oooh lucky me, my UPcycled vase pic has been selected as one of the top ten finalists for Support a WAHP's Mother's Day Photography Competition.

You can check out all the beautiful entries at Support a WAHP's flickr and pop over to the website to vote.

UPcycling Workshops

2011-04-22T16:26:00.005+10:00

Cripes May is going to be a huge month for LBD.

In addition to some very exciting goings on for The Swich's Transforming Spaces event as part of the Ipswich Festival (stay tuned for announcements soon) I'll be running UPcycling workshops with the lovely Katie of K82e Crea8ions at a couple of our local libraries.

So if you live in Ipswich town and would like to learn how to UPcycle your household waste into a self watering planter, a coin purse or some sweet jewellery then be sure to book soon as places are limited.

Tuesday 17 May - Ipswich Library - 10:00am to 11:30am

Friday 20 May - Redbank Plains Library 10:30am to 12.00pm

For all bookings phone Ipswich Library (07) 3810 6815

All attendees go in the draw to win a household starter pack to inspire the home environment guru within (I wish I could be in this too hmmmmm jealous!!)

on the desk....

2011-04-15T12:19:00.001+10:00

lots of little stuff at the moment. I've been really enjoying screen printing these vintage illustrations onto fabric samples, then using them to make sleeves for old tins and bottles. I get great satisfaction from transforming mundane and discarded containers into cute vases and pencil holders.

Creative UPcycling and Sewing Workshop

2011-03-30T07:17:00.005+10:00

After much gentle prodding I've finally got my act together to offer a series of creative UPcycling and Sewing workshops in little old Ipswich.

You can find all the details here or shoot me an email - rebecca1206 (at) hotmail.com

A bit excited and a bit freaking out here eeeeeee

My creative space...

2011-03-17T13:12:00.005+10:00

some sewing for the little miss this week:

I've gone down the matching curtains and doona cover road, a strange place to be when you consider I grew up doing completely the opposite.

The cute animal fabric is from the swedish shop and all the other bits are a stash bust YAY! Oh and the sweet sleeping kiddo is mine too squeeee.

If it's time for a cuppa head over to Kootoyoo for more creative space action.

links to the past

2011-03-08T11:45:00.004+10:00

As today is international women's day I want to honour an ordinary woman who was (and still is) inspirational to me.

This is my great grandmother in 1925 when she was 18.

When I was little she lived in the 'granny flat' just fifty meters up the drive from us. She taught me to cook delicious shepherd's pie (I now make the veggie version) and the most amazing apple sponge cake ever. She patiently taught me to sew (as did my lovely mum) and on weekends my brothers and I would take it in turns to sleepover at her house and she would spoil us rotten. We could choose whatever we wanted for dinner, watch whatever we wanted on tv, we got to sleep in a huge double bed and could have friends to sleep over too. Much to my mum's (justifiable) horror she would fill us full of biscuits, chocolates and sarsaparilla spiders (soft drink + ice cream mmmmmm) and in the morning she would make us breakfast, with a peculiar habit of pouring boiling water on the weet-bix (don't knock it till you've tried it). Basically she was the perfect, story book nanna, tiny, with big wavy white hair, beautifully wrinkly skin and a hug and a kiss for everyone.

The other day while walking up Anne St in the Valley I spotted this building:

I've wondered for ages where it was because this is where nanna used to work. She was a tailoress and during WWII she made great coats. If you look at the photo below she's the 3rd from the right.

I get a real thrill when I find a Freedman suit in an op shop as I wonder whether nanna might have made it and I love that tangible link to the past.

When our own daughter was born she was given her name - Isabella and I think she may have picked up a few of her traits - an iron will and a big heart.

I'd love to hear your nanna stories.................

fingers crossed

2011-03-04T17:18:00.002+10:00

for a sunny day tomorrow for the grape stomp festival. Live blues and roots music, stalls of handmade goodness and grape stomping competitions.

my diy screen printing efforts

First step...

2011-03-02T13:42:00.003+10:00

is to join in with indie business 3.0

I'm soooo excited to be taking this class. I've been at a bit of a loose end trying to work out what to do and where to take Little Brown Dog and I'm hoping this will help me get my head around it all and give me the confidence and skills to grow.

Big thanks to Jess Van Den over at Crafting a Business who posted a fantastic article about investing in yourself and your business.

My Creative Space...

2011-02-24T21:29:00.001+10:00

Hurrah for sewing which has settled my jangling nerves today. Miss b has not been the happiest vegemite the last few days (does this teething thing ever end?).

Thankfully she gave me enough of a break today to whip up this dress for her from gifted vintage scraps. It's just four squares of fabric at slightly different angles, a hole cut in the centre and some speeding at the over locker to attach a big band of stretch fabric.

Now it's time for a good sit down, a cup of rooibos and a slow dawdle through creative space.

Pop pop

2011-02-22T20:41:00.005+10:00

I had the most fantastic day Saturday at the Top of Town Empty Shop Boutique Market. We strung bunting all over the place to make it look pretty

and had a steady trickle of customers the whole day long.

In between all the action I got to chat to the lovely Thea of Beautiful Day,

check out the gorgeous vintage wares from Kijaro (yay for swaps) and Vintage by Lou Lou

and guard these super cute tea towels hand made and printed by my lovely friend Elissa which will soon be stocked in Ipswich town HURRAH.

Fingers crossed we'll do this all again soon.

cube sweet cube

2011-02-16T09:17:00.001+10:00

Um yup I know it's already Wednesday but I wanted to show you what I did on Saturday.

Ta da:

I set up a cube at the Valley In.cube8r YAY!!! It's chock full of screen printed goodies including bunting, buttons and badges, pencil cases, pencil caddies and tie-up bags. You can currently find Incube8r on Wickham St then next month they move to Brunswick St, right by some very tempting boutiques and eateries.

There was also lots of local goings on including a Pop Up Shop in the Ipswich Top of Town precinct.

It's back again this weekend so if you're keen to indulge then why not could head in for breakfast at one of the gorgeous cafe's before you browse the market and stroll around the sweet little shops.

I can recommend the baby cino at Bon Laneway.

Glug, glug, glug.....

2011-02-06T22:36:00.005+10:00

You know you're in trouble when your beverage choice is dictated by whether the bottle cap is interesting or not. But when you plan on turning them into earrings I guess it's not so bad.

I promise it wasn't just me drinking them, I have a mister and a few brothers who are more than happy to help me out.

If you fancy dangling some from your lobes then head on over to my Etsy shop.

My Creative Space...

2011-02-03T13:41:00.003+10:00

Hooray for our lovely post lady who this morning delivered some special little bits of silver.

This tiny moped and itty bitty bee are destined for some bottle top earrings which I've been having lots of fun with the last couple of days. The best thing of all is that they're made in Australia - Hurrah! From recycled silver - double hurrah.

There's lots more creativity happening here if you fancy checking it out.

Hot off the sewing machine....

2011-02-02T18:56:00.006+10:00

I've recently realised that if I confine myself to just making little things then I feel like I'm actually getting something done. With that in mind I've been whirring away on the sewing machine making lots of little sun hats from my screen printed scraps.

Lucky I've got a cute kid to model them for me:

Awwww. These sweet little hats will be up for sale in the lovely Precious Packages in Ipswich Town.

where o where has that little dog been?

2011-01-30T13:57:00.008+10:00

well we haven't quite been to London to visit the Queen but we did see lots of this:

in lovely Wales.

And then lots of this:

when we got home.

I have been meaning to post for ages but couldn't work out what to write that didn't sound flippant in light of all the havoc the rain and floods have wrought in little old Queensland. We were physically unaffected other than having no power for a few days but this is absolutely nothing compared to what good friends have had to endure.

I'm sure you've all been helping out in whatever art and crafty ways that you can. Up this way the lovely ladies at Mumatopia and Precious Packages have joined forces to hold a super dooper handmade raffle with all proceeds going to the Premier's Flood Appeal. Tickets are only $10 and the prize packs are fantastic. Visit them here if you want to join in.

That's it for now, I promise to be a better blogger this year so please stay tuned to find out all the exciting things going on in 2011 for Little Brown Dog (including festival happenings, workshops and more).

Happy Australia Day

2011-01-26T08:47:00.000+10:00

Postcard from Wales

2010-10-31T21:53:00.005+10:00

Hi all, no I've not forgotten about my little spot in the blogosphere it's just that we've flown half way round the planet and I'm not getting my craft on as much as usual. Here's what I have been working on in the brief moments whenI can access a sewing machine:

Some story book screen prints (which I hastily printed before we left Oz) made into super cute bunting. I've a few other little projects on the go but more about those later.

Thanks for staying tuned.

Photoshoot fun

2010-09-27T23:30:00.001+10:00

What do you get when you get together nine kids, seven mummas, eight chooks and five cameras?

One heck of a cute (and hectic) photoshoot to showcase the talents of local designers and mummas with cameras.

Check out all this goodness here.

Plastic fantastic

2010-09-21T12:16:00.003+10:00

Been messin around with some old plastic bags, working out a few ideas for a very exciting event that i'm lucky enough to be part of. Especially as I get to team up with some very talented local types.

Swichies

2010-09-15T13:26:00.007+10:00

You might recall a while back I was commissioned to make some softies for a new gallery in Ipswich town.

These little folks were christened 'Swichies' as their temporary home was the delectable SWICH Contemporary Art Space.

Well we've waved them all off as they've set out on their travels into Ipswich and the wide old world beyond.

And now it's time for some new faces, including open edition Swichies (in the black and white Swich 'uniform') and Artist Swichies (in many artistic guises),

and the pint sized Swichie babies.

Fun times on Friday

2010-08-24T20:20:00.003+10:00

If only I could be in two places at once this Friday. It's Little Market time again YAY so if you're in West End you know where to go to find handmade goodness and good tunes.

Or if you find yourself in Ipswich town you'll find me running an UPcycling workshop at the delightful Precious Packages.

A huge weekend

2010-08-16T22:04:00.007+10:00

Sheesh it's been a massive weekend for the LBD family.

Saturday saw us at the delightful twilight market and launch party for Mumatopia. It was chock full of wonderful, local handmade goodness and so well supported by the local community. You can check out lots of lovely pics over at Ipswich Women in Business.

Sunday we took a drive out to our lovely friends at Art and Soul Gallery to drop off a few items for their 'evolution' exhibition. Here's a sneaky peek for you:

On the way home we had an impromptu stop at a little shop in Peak Crossing.

Check out what I found eeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Boutique Markets

2010-08-11T12:03:00.003+10:00

I'm super excited to be part of the Mumatopia Launch party and twilight markets this Saturday at Precious Packages. Kicking off at 4pm they'll be lots of handmade and eco-friendly gifts for mums and kids, live music, guest speakers, belly dancing, lucky door prizes and super goody bags for the first fifty guests.

Here's a sneaky peak at the goody bags made from UPcycled materials by yours truly and screenprinted at the dining table.

They'll be packed to the gills with treats from my crafty friends and fellow stall holders including: A Little Original, Dash Robin, Chrissy Foreman C, Jet Beads and Craft, Boutique Tres Chic and lots more. So if you find yourself with some time to spare on Saturday then be sure to pop in and check it all out.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T22:49:00.003+10:00

Wordless Wednesday

About moi

2010-07-19T12:32:00.002+10:00

If you'd like to find out why I started upcycling, who inspires me and a few other random things about me then you can head on over to Dash Robin for Meet me Monday - a regular spot on Kate's lovely blog for mini interviews with creative folk.

My Creative Space...

2010-07-15T11:45:00.003+10:00

is all about softies made from fabric samples.

Up the front is Mr Jessiah, named and won by Isis in my birthday softie giveaway. And hiding up the back are two very special custom made chaps destined for a new gallery space in little old Ipswich, yay for making things for a local shop.

For a whole world of creative spaces head on over to kootoyoo.

Pop - Up Shop

2010-07-14T18:16:00.004+10:00

By our powers combined we are Tricycle, a three wheeled vehicle of all things eco, ethical and handmade. Bringing together the creative UPcycling talents of Chrissy, Kate and Bec, tricycle is our brand new eco crafting collective and we're very excited to present a pop-up shop at the lovely Nook.

We'd love to see you there.

DIY Screen printing action

2010-07-13T21:50:00.000+10:00

The Mister has been on holidays so I've had another chance to play around with my screen printing stuff. HURRAH!

I was feeling like I'd lost my touch for a while there, things just kept going wrong, I couldn't get my squeegee action right or I was unhappy with the print quality. But I've had a real good mess around and am much happier with how it's all turned out.

Just to show you how very DIY it's been:

We made up frames at Easter:

This is the lovely Gary and Rowena wielding the power tools.

I took a quick lesson with screen printer extraodinaire Jesse.

I then stretched and stapled on the mesh, played about with photographic emulsion and had a few practice runs with print exposure times - hot tip - in full Queensland sun 20-30 seconds is plenty of time, otherwise you end up with rock hard screens that need to be reclaimed, ooops.

And after a few successful print runs and a bit of sewing here's the end results - some cute as pie t'shirts and little shorts.

Almost there

2010-07-06T23:06:00.003+10:00

Check this out:

the kidlet's nearly walking. Please excuse the ugg boots, it's been a bit chilly here and I've embraced my inner bogan, donning them over black jeans, hmmm tragic I know but I promise I won't go past the gate like this.

UPcycled Fashion Parade - Video

2010-07-05T12:20:00.004+10:00

Now you can see the fashion parade in its entirety. All the UPcycled clothing goodness from St Mary's College, Ipswich, Go Go Girl, Me and Lismore Underground with accessories by Go Go Girl, Dash Robin and Chrissy Foreman.

Thanks to The Mister for this little vid:

A local market for local people.

2010-07-01T20:09:00.006+10:00

This Sunday I'll be sharing a stall with Mumatopia at the very first Mt. Crosby Country Market. I'm so thrilled to be attending a market that's less than five minutes from my own front door.

Locals come on down.

My Creative Space...

2010-06-24T22:35:00.002+10:00

is full of chopped up jeans. I've pinned them onto our foot stool aiming to stitch together a cover to hide the growing number of baby food stains. My ultimate goal is to cover the couch too, it's beige which is a total disaster in the house of two scruffy types and their kidlet.

To get your fill of creative spaces pop in to see Kirsty.

Oh and hooray for Julia!

A simple (not knitted) wrap

2010-06-23T11:18:00.003+10:00

Feeling cold and have been inspired to have a go at a simple wrap around top. All I did was hack up an old blanket, add a strip of jersey to the top and mess around with some free hand machine embroidery.

The original was a knit top by Leonie over at Raglan Guld, one of my all time favourite spots to spend time in cyber space. Leonie always has gorgeous photos and very generously shares her patterns for skirts, tops and pin cushions as well as handy tips for all manner of bloggy things like how to make your pictures bigger. Treat yourself to a visit.

My Creative Space or the great culotte comeback.

2010-06-17T12:41:00.004+10:00

On a recent op shop expedition I came across this old pattern and started contemplating the culotte.

The last time I wore culottes was in primary school so I'm wondering if this is really such a good idea. Also as a recent convert to the high waisted pant and a self confessed scruff I'm not sure about the fashion conventions or faux pas surrounding them. What do you think, how would you wear them, should I give them a go??

My lovely assistant is not really helping with the decision making:

For your weekly dose of creative space action head over to Kirsty's.

Ooh and if you fancy joining in my softie giveaway leave a comment here.

A belated penultimate 30th birthday softie giveaway.

2010-06-16T22:46:00.007+10:00

Phew what a mouthful, I'm a bit obsessed with the word penultimate and am so stoked I finally get to use it in context in a post.

Sooo on Saturday I turned 29 and to celebrate with all of you out there in the blogosphere I'm having a little giveaway. I had intended to post on the 12th but spent the day with my little family and the evening celebrating with friends at the handover of the Art and Soul Gallery in Boonah:
I've also had a foul couple of days lying around the house with a gastro infection (the less said the better really) and now it's already late Wednesday night, nearly early Thursday morning ..... so without further ado here is my belated penultimate 30th birthday softie giveaway:

I'm giving away one softie, custom made from repurposed fabric samples and stuffed with quilt filling offcuts. To enter the giveaway please leave a comment with:
- your species of choice (bear, bunny or foxy man),
- a colour scheme (which I'll do my best to match should you win) and
- most importantly a name for your couch critter.
The Mister and I will choose a winner and I'm happy to post the little critter anywhere in the whole wide world. You have until Saturday the 26th to enter. Looking forward to some creative names :)

Strutting our UPcycled stuff.

2010-06-11T11:19:00.014+10:00

These couple of outfits are by senior Home Ec students from my old alma mater. Their task was to create a contemporary garment by reworking and refashioning an op shop item. A mid length skirt was transformed into the strapless playsuit and a leg-o-mutton sleeved taffeta dress has been reborn as a strapless evening dress.

My lovely friend Diana is a creative force on and off the sewing machine. For the parade she created a range of skirts from refashioned vintage dresses, skirts and table wear. Each of her skirts was complemented by a reworked jumper, given a new lease on life as a super sweet embellished cardi.

Next up was little old me. In its previous life the skirt was a couple of large men's shirts. The dress you may have spotted here before, it was made from off cuts from flag making (fill a bag from Reverse Garbage).

We concluded the show with a collection from backyard screen printer Jesse and his Stitch n Bitch mate Punkin. These chaps create outfits from UPcycled denim printed with industrial, mechanical and anatomical images and adorned with all manner of spikes and studs.

So there you go, pretty amazing what can be made from 'waste' materials, thrift scores and vintage bits and pieces. Hope you're feeling inspired.

A windy day...

2010-06-06T20:39:00.008+10:00

It was a glorious day on the Redcliffe Peninsula on Sunday. Our stall - The Suitcase Collective - was bursting with environmentally friendly goodies - UPcycled clothing and accessories, eco jewellery, natural skincare, reusable sandwich wraps, art prints and more. It was great to share a stall and have a few creative types contributing to the layout and look of the stall. I think we looked gorgeous but sadly people weren't spending money on our handmade loveliness. To be honest I've not had much luck at markets recently, which I know I can't take personally, but sometimes it's a bit tough. Alright that's enough of a whinge for now, I'll be back later in the week with some images and maybe a little video from the UPcycled Fashion Parade.

My Creative Space...

2010-06-03T12:28:00.006+10:00

I've been getting into some more DIY in preparation for the Hays Inlet Festival on Sunday.

This was another cupboard removed during my brother's renovation.

Now that it's all prettied up I'll be using it to display some gorgeous natural skincare products made by a friend of mine in little old Ipswich.

I'm pretty excited about the stall as I'll be sharing it with some lovely ladies who make all manner of UPcycled and eco friendly wares. You can check out what these creative gals do here, here, here and here.

I've also finished off the cardboard props for the UPcycled Fashion Parade (also on Sunday at the festival). Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a fine day as I don't think they'll hold up too well in the rain.

Our flipping power is out which means all those sewing jobs I've stupidly left to the last minute are just going to have to wait a bit longer. For now I intend to spend the rest of my afternoon sitting at the laptop with a cuppa getting inspired by all the amazing creative spacers out there.

What happened to those banana boxes..

2010-06-02T14:31:00.002+10:00

(and a few other boxes too) yay for glue guns.

To Market to market...

2010-05-24T10:59:00.001+10:00

My Creative Space...

2010-05-20T11:20:00.004+10:00

Oh hurray it's time for my weekly craft confessional. This week I'm having a go at making props for the UPcycled fashion parade in a couple of weeks.

I have assembled my materials:

and weapons of choice:

now I just have to tear myself away from all the gorgeous creative space temptations and get cracking while the bubbala has her snooze mmmm maybe just another minute..............or two......

Getting into some DIY

2010-05-19T12:16:00.002+10:00

In preparation for a stall at the Hay's Inlet Festival I've been having a go with a bit of DIY.

The old cupboard came with my brother's post war house and was painted in a delightful 70s lime green mmmm lovely. So I had a go at it with some paint stripper and a very noisy sander then added a splash of white paint to brighten up the insides. I also got into some papering with old pattern pieces (that's the brown stuff on the inside floor, it looks much more interesting close up) and I finished it all off by painting a blackboard on one side.
,

Miss B was happy to help out.

My lovely friend does this...

2010-05-10T16:09:00.005+10:00

Through markets and mum's groups I've met and made friends with some very talented and amazing people. In this regular feature I'll introduce you to some of them and show you what they do.

So without further ado, my lovely friend does this:

Mumatopia is the website of my friend (and almost neighbour) Cas. Through Mumatopia Cas aims to provide a gateway for women to access information on pregnancy, birth and postnatal support services, find local natural therapists, get ideas for child-friendly activities and check out locally made eco-friendly products.

Cas has a long list of talents. She is a writer and speaker about pregnancy, birth and parenting, a maker of reusable sandwich wraps, a former editor of Birth Matters Journal, former president of Maternity Coalition and co-founder of Caesarean Awareness Network Australia. And to top it off she's a mum and home schooler to three rambunctious boys, an accomplished performing artist and an avid permaculture gardener who shares her delicious produce amongst her friends and neighbours.

On her blog, Cas shares insightful and often deeply personal articles on child birth and parenting and provides helpful tips on nutrition and eco-friendly family living. Why not drop by mumatopia.com for a visit and if you're in the greater Brisbane area with a business that fits with Mumatopia’s philosophy of “nurturing and essentials every mum deserves" then be sure to contact Cas to link up with the Mumatopia community.

My Creative Space

2010-04-29T22:25:00.003+10:00

It's been a while between visits and I've been missing my creative space check ins but have struggled to fit in any computer time on a Thursday between my lovely Mum's group and entertaining the amazing destructor baby.

I've had plenty to read though

and have been playing about with some DIY screen printing. We made up screens over the easter hols, I've had a go at stretching the mesh and have been trying out my technique with photographic emulsion. I've had a few mishaps with over exposed and under exposed screens and I'm feeling a bit out of practice with my squeegee technique but it's been lots of fun messing around. Here's the end result using a pattern from Carefree Clothes for Girls:

There's whole world of creative space waiting for you over at Kirsty's.

not quite a post....

2010-04-27T09:35:00.002+10:00

I would desperately like to write a proper post but the amazing destructor baby is exploring the lounge, finding small things to put in her mouth, attacking the USB internet whatzit and generally doing all those things that curious and determined babies do. We're off to mum and bubs yoga so hopefully I can do this properly this afternoon while the little one is a asleep and not walloping the delete key.

Hidden treasure in Lismore.

2010-04-21T10:25:00.005+10:00

On our recent sojourn to northern NSW we stumbled across Pulling Threads, a fresh, new shop in Casino Street, Lismore. Owner, Judy has fulfilled a life long dream of opening a little shop and has been emptying her bursting cupboards to stock the shelves with all manner of vintage sewing and craft supplies.

These boxes of buttons are impossible to walk past without running your fingers through.

Row upon row of beautiful vintage fabrics. A colour coded feast for the eyes

70's rub on decals.

Odds and ends and little treasures (sadly the Sylko box is not for sale, Judy can't bear to part with it just yet).

And even vintage thread.

Sigh, I'm suffering some serious shop envy.

How goes the Ethical Clothing Pledge?

2010-04-13T00:04:00.005+10:00

Isis' baby is seven months old today (well yesterday because I should have prepared this earlier not at stupid o'clock) and to celebrate she's asked her pledgees to reflect on their commitment to only wear clothing which is one of the following:
1. Pre-loved
2. Handmade (preferably by me)
3. Reconstructed
4. Made with ethical / environmentally friendly materials
5. Made by a company with strong ethical policy & workers' rights

Why did I sign up?
For me (like Dave and Jenny) taking up the pledge has been an affirmation of personal conviction. A deeper commitment to a gentle way of life with a focus on social and environmental responsibility. For the little brown dog family this means - recycling as much as possible, buying fair-trade chocolate (have been tempted and slipped up a few times with this one), using cloth nappies (and the odd compostable disposable when it all gets a bit much), frequenting the local farmers market, buying organic when we can afford it, attempting to grow some of our own edibles and spreading the UPcycling word through my own little label.

Reflecting on my pledge:
- I've never really bought into the whole trend based fashion idea and have always loved op shopping and tinkering at the sewing machine, so this has been a great excuse to keep scouring op shops and snatch some time in the sewing room (mostly at weekends and during school holidays when the Mr is home and entertaining little Bella).

- If you look long and hard enough op shops can fulfil almost all your clothing needs. I've found the most incredible designer baby clothes, new shoes and new (as in labels still on them, not touched a bum) undies.

- Mums stash incredible stuff, mine kept an amazing number of beautiful baby clothes hand knitted by my Nanna and in perfect condition and they look soooo gorgeous.

- It can be hard to resist cute frilly things for little girls but when you can find plenty of beautiful kids stuff at handmade markets plus you have nice friends who pass on their kiddlings pre loved clothes there's no need to step into a chain store (Hurrah).

- A swap party with your mates is a fantastic way to spread the ethical clothing message plus clear out your cupboards and find some treasures.

- Stretchiness is very, very important in hand made undies. I will make sure I read the instructions next time instead of guessing and hoping for the best.

- Always read labels closely because it sucks when something you bought because you thought it was ethically made turns out, upon closer inspection not to be (slap on the wrist for the mr and me here and a lesson learnt).

- Doilies and old lacy tablecloths are a great way to girly up any outfit.

- TOMS have a gorgeous range of socially responsible, reasonably inexpensive and very comfortable footwear which they'll post to sunny old Oz (yes the postage can be a bit much but if you order a few pairs or share an order with a friend then it works out ok).

- If you need any more convincing to join the pledge then check out Blood, Sweat and T-shirts (Weds 8.30pm ABC2).

What next?
I've decided that:
1. This is a family affair - initially I just committed myself to the pledge but after the last few months I've realised we can all do it (easily).
2. I'm going to spread the word and I won't give up when I get one of those withering it's just Bec on about the environment again looks because in the words of Kermit the Frog:

It's not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow, or gold
Or something much more colorful like that

It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over
'Cause you're not standing out
Like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky

But green's the color of spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like a mountain
Or important like a river
Or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why
But why wonder why wonder
I am green, and it'll do fine
It's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be

Cripes

2010-04-10T13:15:00.006+10:00

It's been a huge week and a bit since my last post. We've had a little family holiday visiting our lovely friend in northern NSW and whilst I did have internet access I decided to give myself a little blogging holiday too.

We spent our days baking easter treats, checking out local eateries and op shopping like mad. And we were lucky enough to stumbled across Pulling Threads, a gorgeous new shop in Lismore selling all kinds of vintage sewing and craft supplies (more on this soon).

I also had a lesson in photographic screen printing with Jesse.

And when we arrived home this lovely little parcel was waiting to be opened. Thanks Cathie.

Oh and Isabella has started crawling eeeee fun times ahead.

My Creative Space...

2010-04-01T08:28:00.006+10:00

has been surprisingly busy this week.

There's this doily inspired creation coming together on the machine. I'm aiming to have it ready for a grand opening next week, then it will be added it to the collection for an UPcycled Fashion Parade I've found myself organising.

And I've been hacking up some too small t-shirts to make long sleeved tees for the kiddling (I had to put this one in just so you could see how much she's grown).

To see who else is playing along you can visit Kirsty...

Calling for expressions of interest - UPcycled Fashion Parade

2010-03-29T13:16:00.004+10:00

I've been invited to coordinate an UPcycled fashion parade for the Hay's Inlet Festival at Pelican Park, Clontarf Beach, on the 6th June, 2010.

My aim is to showcase a broad range of UPcycling styles including:
* modernising op shop clothes through alteration and additions such as screen printing,
* using op shop and remnant fabric such as sheets, doona covers and fabric samples to make new clothes and
* deconstructing and remaking op shop clothes.

I'm wondering if there's anyone out there (who lives relatively close to Brisbane and who most importantly makes UPcycled clothes) who would like to take this opportunity to show a selection of their work in the parade. I'm not expecting that you make garments specifically for the show (though you are certainly welcome to), rather that you select a few of your favourite pieces (5-10) from those you've already created.

This will be a fantastic opportunity for you to show your work and spread the UPcycling cause to a wide audience as several thousand people are expected to attend.

If you're keen please email an expression interest by the 9th April, including:
* a brief description of what you do, for example materials and techniques you use
* a little bit about yourself - your motivation for UPcycling and that sort of thing
* a picture or two of your garments or relevant web link

SPECIFICS:
* Garments need to be made predominantly from recycled (2nd hand) or salvaged (discarded fabric samples etc) materials, the odd new button, zipper or use of new cotton is fine.
* If you or anyone you know might be interested in modelling please let me know but be aware that you will have to be able to get yourself to the festival.

IMPORTANT DATES
9th April - Register your interest
30th April - 7th May - finalise your garment choice and send through (email or snail mail) photographs with descriptions of materials used, methods, inspiration, sizing etc. It's important that I receive this information and photographs by the 7th of May to give me plenty of time for styling and structuring the fashion parade.
7th - 28th May - I will arrange to collect garments (and accessories)
29th May - dress rehearsal
6th June - the BIG day

Happy UPcycling
Bec
rebecca1206@hotmail.com

My Creative Space...

2010-03-25T13:53:00.005+10:00

A few bits and pieces on and around the sewing table this week:

An op shopped jacket getting the LBD treatment with lino printing and printable calico. A little bit of free hand stichery will finish it off ready for its debut in April.

And this. On the way to becoming a dress up box for the lovely daughter of my lovely friend. I'm hoping she likes fairies, mermaids and shiny magic cloaks.

Feast your eyes on more Creative Spaces at kootoyoo.

My Creative Space...

2010-03-18T13:22:00.004+10:00

Happily I finished off last weeks creative endeavour which has meant that I've had a chance to play around with something I've been wanting to try out for ages.

I've been hoarding vintage pure wool blankets with a vague idea of making kids coats. I love the A shaped styles you see in the old Golden Hands books so I trawled Etsy until I found the perfect pattern at Nutmeg & Sassafras. It's been interesting (and just a bit challenging) sewing from a pattern and following instructions as I usually work from my own patterns and kind of make things up as I go along. I used an old Simplicity handbook which had some very helpful tips and I'm quite chuffed with my first attempt:

For more delightful creative space sharing visit Kirsty over at Kootoyoo.

Yay finished

2010-03-17T21:35:00.004+10:00

Hurrah I actually got the cushions finished to drop off at Nook on Friday. Now I just have to try and resist all the handmade goodies I'll be exposed to this weekend.

Handmade market extravaganza

2010-03-16T13:42:00.004+10:00

Because of the way things go I'll be at two lovely handmade markets this weekend. Friday evening you'll find me at the Little Market in West End and I'll be up early Saturday morning for the Handmade Expo in Ipswich.

If you fancy some handmade loveliness then be sure to pop on by.

My Creative Space...

2010-03-11T13:54:00.007+10:00

is full of vintage Australiana tea towels on their way to becoming delightfully kitsch cushions.

They were supposed to be finished weeks ago for the lovely Nook in West End, but plans seem to go awry when trying to sew and entertain a wee one. The zippers are done so the worst bit is out of the way, all that's left is a few quick seams and some stuffing.

Fingers crossed for some quality sewing time this weekend.

You can visit Kirsty to find more wonderful works in progress (and some finished projects too).